# Stupidest product design you’ve experienced **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 25, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621 "2023-03-25T02:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 102
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2021 "2026-05-13T05:02:25Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And then there’s the bill payment portal that Dr Pepper uses. Not that it’s germane to your very valid complaint, but why do you have regular payments to Dr Pepper? ---
**Author:** ![Sooner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sooner/32/7875_2.png) [@Sooner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sooner)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2022 "2026-05-13T05:58:57Z")
Seemly every video app, now starts in a preview mode, with full sounds. And where ever you scroll, the landing point will start a preview with audio. So there is no quiet respite. I despise this. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2023 "2026-05-13T09:08:54Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > . . . . and it’s not helped by the fact that they also hide what’s being typed Most places let you turn this off, but some won’t, and it’s obnoxious as hell when accessing on your phone. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2024 "2026-05-13T10:36:37Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > And then there’s the bill payment portal that Dr Pepper uses. > > Not that it’s germane to your very valid complaint, but why do you have regular payments to Dr Pepper? I was wondering about that myself (and imagining @Joey_P with Dr Pepper piped into his home, so that every month he has to pay the Dr Pepper bill). ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2025 "2026-05-13T10:56:20Z")
Dumbest design decision ever was Apple’s “Magic Mouse” that had the charging port at the bottom, making it absolutely impossible to use the mouse while it was charging. Supposedly it was about aesthetics. A charging port in the front wasn’t considered “sleek enough”. This is enoug to make me realize that Apple’s reputation for brilliant design is all hot air. They just make things look smooth on the surface so it looks nice in their retail stores. Actual usability, eh. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2026 "2026-05-13T11:40:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@DesertDog](#): > > > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > > > And then there’s the bill payment portal that Dr Pepper uses. > > > > Not that it’s germane to your very valid complaint, but why do you have regular payments to Dr Pepper? > > I was wondering about that myself (and imagining @Joey_P with Dr Pepper piped into his home, so that every month he has to pay the Dr Pepper bill). It’s for work. We get Dr Pepper directly from them (because they’re their own distributor, at least in my area). ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2027 "2026-05-13T11:40:40Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Yeah, it’s all coming out of public databases That’s what makes them security questions! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2028 "2026-05-13T14:49:45Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > > [@Joey\_P](#): > > > > Not generally a big deal, but when that One Time Password is pT3Yg\_$z89, for the love of god, don’t disable the ability to cut and paste it. Memorizing a few characters, then going to the page to type them in, then going back to the email to memorize a few more and so on is really obnoxious and it’s not helped by the fact that they also hide what’s being typed. > > I’ve run into this with the Hilton app. I had to enter my confirmation number on another app but couldn’t cut and paste my reservation number. I had to memorize 4 digits at a time and then go back and forth between tabs Very old fashioned work around: write the number down on a piece of paper? Still massively annoying; but a lot easier than going back and forth between tabs four characters at a time. Lots of ways to make the bit of paper illegible afterwards; if that’s even necessary for a one time use password. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2029 "2026-05-14T15:09:21Z")
This isn’t a case of “the stupidest,” but I have to question why Samsung puts the solar charging cells for their TV remote on the bottom of the device. For one thing, the internal battery lasts a long, long time between charges. And plugging it into a USB C charger charges it a lot faster than turning it over to use the solar charging cells. In spite of knowing that the cells are there on the bottom and ready to go, I NEVER lay it down on its buttons so it can charge. (Does that make me “the stupidest” user?) I mean, why not make the unit fractionally longer and put them on the top? The cells aren’t that big. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2030 "2026-05-14T18:03:10Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > And then there’s the bill payment portal that Dr Pepper uses. Sorry. I just don’t understand this sentence. You have bills you have to pay to Dr. Pepper??? ETA: Ignore, please. I just noticed the reply abovie. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2031 "2026-05-14T20:28:51Z")
When you own a grocery store, you buy groceries just a _wee bit_ differently than ordinary folk. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2032 "2026-05-14T22:14:35Z")
Speaking of dumb web site authentication methods, today I tried to log in to CVS to check a prescription status. It tried to send a code to the Google Voice phone number I have registered with them but I never received it. I tried a couple of times but I guess for some reason their system wasn’t able to send to a Google Voice number. It gave me the option to “try another way”. I chose that, and it gave me a screen where I could type in a different phone number. I typed in a non-Google Voice number, it sent a code to it, I typed in the code, and then I was logged in. Great, except where is the security in that process? All it proves is that the person trying to hack in to my account owns a phone. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2033 "2026-05-14T23:02:47Z")
Dollar General has 2FA so you can log in and add coupons to your account. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2034 "2026-05-14T23:09:33Z")
Well, of course. Dollar store-related fraud is _endemic_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2035 "2026-05-15T00:46:56Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Memorizing a few characters, then going to the page to type them in, then going back to the email to memorize a few more and so on is really obnoxious and it’s not helped by the fact that they also hide what’s being typed. And don’t forget that it expires after a few minutes, so you have to retype it quickly. Whenever anyone ever says they do something “for security purposes”, they should be required to explain just how it increases security. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2036 "2026-05-15T10:39:23Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > […] their verification questions are all places I never lived, but the addresses of relatives where I had mail forwarded twenty years ago. Lets say, hypothetically, that 20 years ago you (generic ‘you’) had mail forwarded to 337 Oak St., Duluth MN. If 20 years later some corporation asks you a verification question of, “Did you ever live at 337 Oak St., Duluth MN ?” Most folks, I think, would make the connection and therefore answer “yes, I did” even though it’s untrue because that’s what the corporation (or whomever) want to hear in order to verify you. It’s the winning answer. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2037 "2026-05-15T11:16:03Z")
Yeah. With e.g. four no-clue answers and one sorta-kinda familiar one I know which one I’m going to pick. But … Although they’ve gotten smarter and the questions often (always?) include a “none of these are familiar to me” choice. Last time I ran one of these gauntlets a few weeks ago, at least one of the Qs had “none of the above” as the correct answer for me. But as to whether they think my e.g. 2005 Chevy was tan or beige or brown, I don’t care, because I know I didn’t own any of those other cars, and car colors are vague ideas at best. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2038 "2026-05-15T13:47:26Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > If 20 years later some corporation asks you a verification question of, “Did you ever live at 337 Oak St., Duluth MN ?” I’m pretty sure that the verification questions don’t ask “Which of the following addresses did you live at?” but something more general like " Which one of the following is a previous address?" or “Which of the following addresses is familiar?” because there are lots of people who don’t/didn’t use the actual address where they live for anything , they always use a mailing address. ---
**Author:** ![sjankis630](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@sjankis630](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjankis630)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2039 "2026-05-15T13:53:32Z")
I have a friend who has a family member who owns a Hyundai - can’t remember the model. It is a compact sedan though and nice and good on mileage. It has a stupid design though. If any of the tires is below a certain tire pressure then the car is not allowed to start up. So if you get a flat out in the wild and it is cold and you are awaiting help you cannot sit in your car and get warm. I couldn’t believe this initially so I went over with my portable compressor and sure enough it didn’t start until I had added enough air to all of the tires. Has anyone else heard of this before? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2026, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621/2040 "2026-05-15T14:50:54Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Most folks, I think, would make the connection and therefore answer “yes, I did” even though it’s untrue because that’s what the corporation (or whomever) want to hear in order to verify you This is true. I have difficulty lying in such situations, even though I know I should. But the specific problem is that they want my ZIP code, and I genuinely don’t know which one they have, just that it’s not anywhere I ever actually lived, and also not someplace anyone I know currently lives. I did get through to a human the other day and was able to recite enough addresses where I HAD lived that they could identify me, but removing inaccurate information is too hard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=101) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-product-design-you-ve-experienced/981621.md?page=103)